Virtues of a Large Family

My friends The Sapps made a post recently about odd comments they got as their family grew. I’ve been thinking about it. We recently went to a work picnic where we had the largest family there. We got a few odd comments. Mostly I get really supportive comments when I go out with my children, but some people seem to think I’m crazy.

Who values large families these days? I once heard a nurse say that if they have a large family they are either Mormon or Catholic. Then once a lady at the store was telling me she came from a large family. I think she had 12 brothers and sisters. Without really thinking, I asked her if she was Mormon or Catholic. She was Catholic.

I’ve been thinking about collecting testimonies on the virtues of large families. I thought about e-mailing friends with great attitudes that I admire, but then I came up with a bigger idea. I decided to start a new tag. Did you grow up in a large family? Do you have a large family of your own? What virtues do you most value? This tag could be for anyone, but I really hope it brings out the things people like about their families.

Virtues of a Large Family Tag

1. How many brothers and sisters did you grow up with? 5, 1 sister and three brothers

2. How many children do you currently have? 4 2/3, two girls, two boys and one girl on the way

3. Do you have aspirations for more children? Yes

4. Name 5 virtues you see in having a big family.

1. There are a lot of laughs.
2. You don’t have to go far to find someone who cares.
3. You get to use your nurturing skills a lot. So hopefully your kids will learn a thing or two and when your old they will care for you and you won’t have to live in a nursing home.
4. You get used to working a lot of different types of personalities. This can be a valuable skill when you get to the work place.
5. As a parent, I find it keeps me focused on important parenting issues. It’s a big job, so it demands your attention. Your kids have to learn how to share, help with chores and love each other. Otherwise, life would be unhappy chaos.

To start off I tag you! Leave me a comment if you take my challenge, I'd love to read what you write. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Tagged

Senior Year Tag



Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be! At the end, choose 10 people (or more) to be tagged. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...
1. Did you date someone from your school? No, unless you count going to dances.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? No!!!
3. Did you car pool to school? Yes, with my sister and my German sister Silke.
4. What kind of car did you have? 1970 (?) Chevy Luv. It was black with orange and yellow stripes. I thought it was great because it matched the school. Too bad I wrecked it the summer before my senior year.
5. What kind of car do you have now? Silver Honda Odyssey
6. Its Saturday night...where are you now? Getting my primary lesson ready, and trying to finish up those last few batches of laundry.
7. It is Saturday night...where were you then? Senior year? Probably doing homework or maybe hanging out with friends. Most of my best high school friends graduated before me. Senior year wasn't really my favorite.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I worked at scout camps during the summer. I kept pretty busy during the school year so it never occurred to me to get a job then.
9. What kind of job do you do now? Mom. I'm also helping my friends start a dance studio at my house. I see this more as community service though.
10. Were you a party animal? No
11. Were you considered a flirt? No
12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? No. I was a drama junkie. I was a stage manager.
13. Were you a nerd? I'm sure I was a huge nerd. I was in lots of AP classes, I was Chemistry Club President, wore braces, never "dressed up", but I think most people liked me anyway. I went to lunch with the senior class president and the student body president a bunch of times and even joined their group for senior prom.
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? No
15. Can you sing the fight song? ???? Most girls joined pep club sophomore year and learned that sort of thing, but I didn't.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mrs. W . . . I can't even remember her name, but she was my AP Chemistry teacher. She was a wonderful mentor.
17. Where did you sit during lunch? Somewhere in the middle.
18. What was your school's full name? Woods Cross High School
19. When did you graduate? 1995 (I sometimes forget this.)
20. What was your school mascot? Wildcats
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Yeah, I probably would go back. It was a lot of fun. I was blessed with so many wonderful opportunities in High School. It would be great to do it again.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? It was very stressful for me, but everyone was really nice.
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? No, I pretty much lost contact with everyone I went to High School with by the time I started college in the fall.
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Why?
25. Do you still talk to people from school? Not unless you count people I'm related to. It would be cool if I ran into someone I knew in high school. We moved a few months after I graduated and I haven't really seen many of them since then.
26. School Colors? Blue, Red and White (It was built in 1976, so everyone was feeling patriotic. The rival high school was red, gray and white, so most uniforms etc came out blue.)


I tag Abby, Camille and Doreen.

Things I've Done

I got this tag from my sister's blog. It is about interesting things you've done. To participate, just mark in bold the items you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (maybe)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (only when my car breaks down)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (thought about it)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (not sure)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (just one so far)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (I've seen it in DC)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (North Rim)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (my husband did)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (never read Songs of Solomon)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Donny Osmond and Steven Covey)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Milked a cow

ABC Tag

Thanks Erin! I read more than I post. I'm finally getting to this one.

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: All my friends are The Best
C-Cake or Pie: Pie
D-Day of Choice: Sunday
E-Essential Item: prayer
F-Favorite Color: Sky blue
G-Greatest Accomplishment: I'll think about this one
H-Hometown: Bountiful, UT
I-Indulgences: staying up late
J-January or July: July
K-Kids: Have four we want more, just not right away
L-Life is incomplete without: My family
M-Marriage Date: May 26, 2001 (sadly, I had to look it up, but I guessed right!)
N-Number of Siblings: 5
O-Oranges or Apples: both (in season)
P-Phobias or Fears: child abuse
Q-Quotes: Love them! Here's one of my favorite mantras: Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment.
R-Reason to Smile: The world is beautiful.
S-Season: Fall!!! Even in the south where the colors aren't as vibrant I love harvest time.
T-Tag 5 friends: I'll only tag two Camille and Abby
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I was in the Hill Cumorah Pageant twice.
V-Very Favorite Store: Goodwill (I got a gorgeous, pristine, three foot princess castle there today for five dollars!)
W-Worst Habit: Not hanging up my towel (oops, I always forget.)
X-X-Ray or UltraSound: UltraSound
Y-Your Favorite Food: Really good bread
Z-Your Zodiac Sign: I can never remember maybe Gemini

Tagged 3's

Tagged by Lajuana. I’m way behind on posting and here are a few little bits that help catch me up. I think the ChicagoSapps have written more about us than I have this month. So thanks and here we go. . .

3 Joys:
1. Cooking. I have come to realize I love to cook. Even when it makes absolutely no sense I want to cook all my meals from scratch if possible. It’s satisfying and fascinating for me.
2. My faith in God. I probably should have thought of this first. I don’t think I could keep going if I didn’t trust that God is over all and loves everyone of us. There is a way to overcome every trail and cheerfully too. We just have to look and trust and we will find it.
3. My family. I’m sort of borrowing this from Lajuana, but it’s true. Spending time with them is a joy. I love seeing my little children discover new things like today when the discovered the robin eggs they’ve been watching are now pink fuzzy robin chicks.

3 Fears:
1. The changing world. I probably shouldn’t read the newspaper. I’ll stop there.
2. My husband going to training. Three months I think I can handle, six months scares me.
3. Sending my first child to public school. I know everyone is a little scared with their first. I just really want my children to have a positive experience and I wish I knew all the things I will learn from this *right now* so I can make the best choices.
(Side note: about two weeks ago it would have been stinking. I started having an allergic reaction to deodorant after E was born. I tried *lots* of things but found that baking soda mixed with lemon juice works better than any deodorant I’ve ever used. We’ll see where summer takes us, but right now I’m not looking back.)

3 Goals:
1. Write down six most important things to do each day and then do them. Slow and steady wins the prize. Right?
2. Get up and dressed before the kids get up. Always a struggle for me.
3. Host a family dinner once a month.

3 Current Obsessions:
1. Gardening. This year I’m hoping to ease up and share it more with my family and kids. I just love watching things grow.
2. Blogging. I read way too many. No wonder I never post.
3. Reading. I’m a terribly obsessive reader. If I start a good book I want to finish rather than put it down. It has lead to more than one late, late, late night.

3 Random/Surprising Facts about Myself:
1. I have a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science. This even surprises me some days. You’d never know it by my current lifestyle.
2. I worked at a small Boy Scout camp for two summers.
3. I’ve never read a Jane Austin book. Maybe I will sometime when my kids are older. Like when I’m waiting for teenagers to come home. Then I can stay up way too late and not feel so guilty.

I tag Laura. If you have time. :) And anyone else who thinks they want to take the challenge. I’d tag Regina too, but I don’t know if I can tag her kind of blog.